A vehicle load carrier provides an economical rack device to expand cargo capacity of a vehicle. Attachment of the carrier to an exterior region of a vehicle generally does not impact passenger or cargo capacity of the vehicle's interior space, while providing the vehicle with a variety of exterior carrying capabilities. Accordingly, load carriers offer a desirable method to transport a wide variety of sports equipment, such as bicycles, skis, snowboards, and boats.
Despite the desirability of using a load carrier to carry a heavy, elongate item, such as a boat, loading the boat on the carrier may present a substantial challenge. Furthermore, this challenge may be substantially magnified when only one person is loading the boat. Due to the weight of the boat, one person many need substantial strength to lift, support, and balance the boat during loading. An alternative loading approach involves lifting the boat one end at a time. In this approach, the person first lifts and positions only one end of the boat on the carrier, while the other end of the boat remains lower, often supported by the ground. Unfortunately, this approach is generally impractical due to the geometry of a vehicle. One end of the boat often cannot be supported by the vehicle carrier while the other end is resting on the ground, for example, due to interference from the hood, trunk, or roof of the vehicle.
Interference from the vehicle's roof may be overcome by relying on a rigid projection extending lateral to a vehicle load carrier. A person can rest one end of the boat on the projection while the person lifts the other end of the boat onto the carrier. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,781. However, a significant problem with this projection is that it attaches externally to intermediate portions of a crossbar, blocking the intermediate portions from carrying other items or attachments. Therefore, a more space-efficient load assist for occasional use is needed.